why would a plumber remove 1.3 m of pipe

Mr English · Dec 20, 2020

A plumber removed 1.3 m of copper pipe on a straight run(he said there was a leak) and replaced it with 2 No push fit 300mm flexible connectors, when asked why he used this method he would not reply.
Can anyone throw some light on this for me.

Scott_D · Dec 20, 2020

He replaced 1.3m with 600mm?
Was he Jesus?
Maybe it’s all that was available on a Sunday evening?
What was the pipe supplying?
Have you been left with working plumbing?

snowhead · Dec 20, 2020

Any photos of said work?

I suspect he was not a Plumber.
Is the property owned or rented?

Why was this person called out, was it an emergency call, was he already there doing other work?

Mr English · Dec 20, 2020

scott_d said:
He replaced 1.3m with 600mm?
Was he Jesus?
Maybe it’s all that was available on a Sunday evening?
What was the pipe supplying?
Have you been left with working plumbing?

No replaced 1.3 m of 15mm dia copper pipe, with 2No pushfit flexible connectors and a length copper pipe of approx .700 in length. I have attached a couple of photos to better show the job

ShaunCorbs · Dec 20, 2020

Looks more like the bathroom is getting re done

Mr English · Dec 20, 2020

snowhead said:
Any photos of said work?

I suspect he was not a Plumber.
Is the property owned or rented?

Why was this person called out, was it an emergency call, was he already there doing other work?

The property is let out and the letting agency sent him, there as already been a leak on one connector to which he had to come back todays later.

Mr English · Dec 20, 2020

Mr English said:
The property is let out and the letting agency sent him, there as already been a leak on one connector to which he had to come back todays later. And he left the pipe work on the floor as seen, he actually submitted these Photos .

Ben-gee · Dec 20, 2020

Surely this is a ‘get you up and running ‘ quick fix on a Sunday.
It needs doing properly in the near future , but that we’ll be into the new year now.
That is fine for a temporary fix.

Mr English · Dec 20, 2020

Ben-gee said:
Surely this is a ‘get you up and running ‘ quick fix on a Sunday.
It needs doing properly in the near future , but that we’ll be into the new year now.
That is fine for a temporary fix.

No this his the permanent repair ! he even re-boxed in the pipe work after taking the photo . I told him I want it out, we have already had him back because one of the connectors was leaking to days after.

Mr English · Dec 20, 2020

ShaunCorbs said:
Looks more like the bathroom is getting re done

No that's the completed plumbing if it was temporary I would not complain its been in since August. he thinks it good1

Ben-gee · Dec 20, 2020

Ah ok. No it’s not good it is in fact carp.

Scott_D · Dec 20, 2020

Bathroom is being refurbished?
No flooring, part of plumbing in the bath, roll and stroll on the floor.
Smells fishy to me

Mr English · Dec 20, 2020

scott_d said:
Bathroom is being refurbished?
No flooring, part of plumbing in the bath, roll and stroll on the floor.
Smells fishy to me

The the original chipboard overly to the concrete floor was degraded due to a leak from the bath waste, which passed in front of the water supply to the WC and wash basin. so the bathroom suit had to come out, to allow the new ply sheeting to be installed.
We were away at the time and the plumber and joiner thought they would inflate their price by claiming there where 3 leaks !! to the copper pipes and 1 leak to the bath waste. The floor area is less than 3.5 m SQ, not exactly large. I pointed out that if we had had 3 No pressure pipes, leaking for any period of time the occupants of the flat below would have noticed, for we had a slight leak some years back and it soon shown in the flat below.

Mr English · Dec 20, 2020

snowhead said:
Any photos of said work?

I suspect he was not a Plumber.
Is the property owned or rented?

Why was this person called out, was it an emergency call, was he already there doing other work?

Working for a letting agency

Mr English · Dec 20, 2020

ShaunCorbs said:
Looks more like the bathroom is getting re done

They took the suit out to renew the floor overlay with ply wood and the plumber thought he would increase the price by saying the copper pipe leaked

Brambles · Dec 21, 2020

There are two sides to every story. If you are concerned, raise it with your Letting Agent. In my experience Plumbers who work for Letting Agents are looking for continuity if work

Scott_D · Dec 21, 2020

Are you the landlord or tenant?
You could ask the agency to see if they will return and replace the flexis before the flooring gets refitted.

Ben-gee · Dec 21, 2020

Why are you overlaying concrete floor with chipboard in a bathroom? (albeit ply now)
Surely better to put tiles on concrete, or self levelling then vinyl?

Mr English · Dec 21, 2020

Brambles said:
There are two sides to every story. If you are concerned, raise it with your Letting Agent. In my experience Plumbers who work for Letting Agents are looking for continuity if work

We are dealing with the agent and his plumber, it is going further.
They are both in it up to their necks, this is only part of the story.

Mr English · Dec 21, 2020

scott_d said:
Are you the landlord or tenant?
You could ask the agency to see if they will return and replace the flexis before the flooring gets refitted.

The job was completed in August! I have told the agent who tried to cover for the plumber to the pipe work made good at his or the plumbers expense .

Mr English · Dec 21, 2020

Ben-gee said:
Why are you overlaying concrete floor with chipboard in a bathroom? (albeit ply now)
Surely better to put tiles on concrete, or self levelling then vinyl?

You are correct but the chip board was obviously a cheaper option when the property was built, the joiner working with the plumber and agent laid the plywood on his own accord. We were away at the time and the agent reported that the floor was collapsing, which when we found out it was concrete construction made a lie of that . There is more going on at the moment .

steadyon · Dec 21, 2020

1. In my experience, letting agencies don't have the first clue about plumbing, or very much else for that matter. So often don't have the knowledge to select the right people for any given job. This from experience as a landlord and plumber.
2. If you can, avoid anyone recommended by agents, and insist they use people you trust. Get the work billed to you directly if you can to avoid the agency uplift and possibly the addition of VAT.
3. That flexible hose:
3a. Is unlikely to be rated for constant hot temperatures if it is part of the heating circuit, although it doesn't look as if it is.
3b. Will restrict the flow .
3c. May well have left the copper at each end unsupported.
4. If the floor overlay of chipboard was previously wet then:
4a. The wet came from somewhere.
4b. Copper in contact with concrete or plaster, particularly if the contact material gets wet, can develop pin holes. So I wouldn't dismiss the claims of multiple leaks, although it would have been sensible for the "plumbers" to have kept, or at least photographed, the evidence.
4c. One could envisage the situation where a leaking waste soaked the floor, wet the concrete / plaster, and caused pin holing of the copper.

Mr English · Dec 21, 2020

Brambles said:
There are two sides to every story. If you are concerned, raise it with your Letting Agent. In my experience Plumbers who work for Letting Agents are looking for continuity if work

steadyon said:
1. In my experience, letting agencies don't have the first clue about plumbing, or very much else for that matter. So often don't have the knowledge to select the right people for any given job. This from experience as a landlord and plumber.
2. If you can, avoid anyone recommended by agents, and insist they use people you trust. Get the work billed to you directly if you can to avoid the agency uplift and possibly the addition of VAT.
3. That flexible hose:
3a. Is unlikely to be rated for constant hot temperatures if it is part of the heating circuit, although it doesn't look as if it is.
3b. Will restrict the flow .
3c. May well have left the copper at each end unsupported.
4. If the floor overlay of chipboard was previously wet then:
4a. The wet came from somewhere.
4b. Copper in contact with concrete or plaster, particularly if the contact material gets wet, can develop pin holes. So I wouldn't dismiss the claims of multiple leaks, although it would have been sensible for the "plumbers" to have kept, or at least photographed, the evidence.
4c. One could envisage the situation where a leaking waste soaked the floor, wet the concrete / plaster, and caused pin holing of the copper.

Thank you for your reply which is most helpful.
The original copper pipe work was supported by fixings to the timber skirting.
The plumber provided photos of the plastic waste pipe in poor condition, this is where the moister that decayed the overlay came from. But no photographic evidence of any problem with the copper pipes .
He actually did a repair to another pipe in the same room, so many leaking pipes in one room at the same time but with no sign of any water in our property of the one directly below it, which I found strange. The second flexible hose repair, I discovered leaking when I could eventually access the property. I will provide a photo of the second repair.
As I said we were away when the report from the agency came that the floor was in a state of collapse due to water damage. Its a long story !. But we thought the floor was of timber construction and so gave the go ahead for the work to be done, we had visions of the bath going through the floor. As it turned out the floor is of concrete construction.

Scott_D · Dec 21, 2020

So you are the landlord not the tenant?

Mr English · Dec 21, 2020

Mr English said:
Thank you for your reply which is most helpful.
The original copper pipe work was supported by fixings to the timber skirting.
The plumber provided photos of the plastic waste pipe in poor condition, this is where the moister that decayed the overlay came from. But no photographic evidence of any problem with the copper pipes .
He actually did a repair to another pipe in the same room, so many leaking pipes in one room at the same time but with no sign of any water in our property of the one directly below it, which I found strange. The second flexible hose repair, I discovered leaking when I could eventually access the property. I will provide a photo of the second repair.
As I said we were away when the report from the agency came that the floor was in a state of collapse due to water damage. Its a long story !. But we thought the floor was of timber construction and so gave the go ahead for the work to be done, we had visions of the bath going through the floor. As it turned out the floor is of concrete construction.

Further to my last post, please find attached photos. photo No1 shows the pipe work entering the bathroom, you can just see the end of the pushfit connection to the 1.3 m length of repair in question.
Photo No 2 shows the area of degraded chip board overlaying the concrete. Photo No3 shows the chipboard trimmed back to unaffected chipboard and the dry concrete. Photo No 4 shows the waste from the bath . Photo No5 shows where the pipes tee of and the second .300mm flexi repair which is leaking with a rag rapped around it by the plumber, photo No 6 shows a waste pipe they have appeared to have disconnected.
Both reapairs are to the same lower pipe, which appears to me to be of a narrower diameter, will one be cold and one hot?. None of the copper pipes were in contact with the concrete they were fixed to the skirting. I asked the plumber about the so called leaks and he would not reply, the flat below had no water ingress at any time.

plumbing, or very much else for that matter. So often don't have the knowledge to select the right people for any given job. This from experience as a landlord and plumber.

steadyon said:
2. If you can, avoid anyone recommended by agents, and insist they use people you trust. Get the work billed to you directly if you can to avoid the agency uplift and possibly the addition of VAT.
3. That flexible hose:
3a. Is unlikely to be rated for constant hot temperatures if it is part of the heating circuit, although it doesn't look as if it is.
3b. Will restrict the flow .
3c. May well have left the copper at each end unsupported.
4. If the floor overlay of chipboard was previously wet then:
4a. The wet came from somewhere.
4b. Copper in contact with concrete or plaster, particularly if the contact material gets wet, can develop pin holes. So I wouldn't dismiss the claims of multiple leaks, although it would have been sensible for the "plumbers" to have kept, or at least photographed, the evidence.
4c. One could envisage the situation where a leaking waste soaked the floor, wet the concrete / plaster, and caused pin holing of the copper.

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